Process of separating free carbon from tar.



Patented ont. 2,1900.

F. LENNARD. EPARATING FREE CARBUN FROM TAR. (Application led Aug. 22,1899.)

PROCESS 0F S 3 Sheetg--Shet l.,

(No Modal.)

MTNESSES Patented ct. 2, i900..

F. LENNARD. PROCESS 0F SEPARATING FREE CARBN FROM TAR.

(Application Bled Aug. 22, 1899.)

s shaets-sheet zx.

(no mum' mum@ VPacenuui Oct. 2, |900.

No. 659,076. l

F. LENNARD.

PROCESS DF SEPARATING FREE GARBDN FROM TAR.

(Application med Aug. 22, 1999.) Y (N0 Model.) i 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

I l 1,-- J 1 -1 l l l l l l l' l l l Il l f l l HNENTOR wrrNESSEs WUNITED STATES i PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERIC LENNARI), OF LONDON, ENGrLAlTD.`

-PROCESS OF SEPARATING FREE CARBON FROM TAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 6I59,0?6,- datedOctober 2, 1900. -pplioatlon Afiled August 22.1899. Serial No. 728,098.(No specimens.) i

Ifree carbon, which retards the distillation of the tar, causes unduewear and tear of the distilling apparatus, andreduces the value -foragglomerating purposes of the pitch'produced from distillation of thetar.

My invention has for its, object to separate the free carbon from thetar, so as to increase i the value of the pitch produced when the tarisldistilled and to obtain the said free carbon in a valuable form forelectrical and other purposes.

Accor( ing to my invention I dilute the tar from which the carbon is tobe separated with naphth'a, light oil, or any other suitable oil orspirit of low specific gravity to such an extent as to diminish theviscous nature of the tar and produce a.mixture having anappreciablydower va porizing-point than the tar alone has. Having sodiluted the tar, I pass the mixture into a chamber or retort exter-lnally heated to the volatilizingpoint of .the mixture and subject it tothe action of steam, which has the effect of depriving it of practicallyall itsliquid portion, the free carbon being deposited in the form of arough powder. The chamber or retort in 'which the mixture is so treatedis preferably of somewhat-conical form, smaller .at bottom than at top,and is provided with a rotating scraper and with a spreader at top todistribute the mixture of tar and light oil or` spirit, thel steambeing` admitted by a jet or jets projecting upward from the lower partof the chamber or retort, the bottom of which is provided with a seal,which may be constituted,V for example, bya Water-well or an air-tightreceptacle, into which the carbon falls and from which it can be removedat intervals. The volatile products driven ed from the The lar'topassing it through an iuterchangerthrough which-the products ofdistillation pass from the still.l

'The accompanying drawings represent apparatus suitable for the purposesof my invention. l

Figure l is a sectional elevation, Fig. 2 a

plan, and Fig. 3 an enlarged section, of the chamber or retort B..

The mixtureof tar and oil or spirit of'low specific gravity, preferablypreviously heated, as hereinafter described, is supplied from a tank A(provided with an agitator'A2) by the pipe a tothe chamber or retortl,heated by the `furnace B2 and provided with a rotating scraper b andwith a spreader b2.

C is a pipe and jet by which steam is admitted and projected upward fromthe lower part of the chamber or retort B, the bottom of which isprovided either with a water-well B3, constituting a seal into which thecarbon falls and from which it can be removed as required by theoutletb'as shown in fu'll lines in Fig. 1, or with an air-tight receptacle B4,as shown in dotted linesvin lthat figure. r|"he vola-tile productsdriven off from the chamber or retortv B pass off by the pipe D andthrough the coil of theinterchanger and condenser E, from which thecondensed portion passes intothe receiver'F, the uncon densed portionpassing through the coil in the auxiliary condenser VGr and thence intothe re,- ceiver H, `from which it is pumped by the pump H2 through thepipe 'aiuto the mixingtank N for mixing therein with a further quantityof tar. The condensed products from the receiver F are pumped by thepump l?2` around the outside of the coil in the interserve as thecondensing medium of the products from the chamber or retort B, which,as"

aforesaid, pass through the said coil,the said condensed products thenpassing by the pipe e to a still I, which can be' heated by the hotproducts of combustion from'the furnace-B. which heats the chamber orretort B, the said products passing th rough the Hue or passage l B5.A'lhe first. or lighter products of distillation from this still I arepassed through the frectionating-column J and by the pipe j through thecoil in the interchangerand condenser Klandth'ence through titeauxiliary condenser L into the receiver M or receivers. The heavier orlast portions of distillation frein the still I afterward pass through'the' -N into the intel-changer and condenser K by way of the pipe n2,and after flowing around the outside of the coil of such interchangerand condenser itoverfiows into 'a vessel O, from which it is pumped bythe pump O2 into the tank A, which, as previously described, suppliesthe retort B.

lf desired, insted ofthe mixture of tar and oil or spirit being' used asthe condensing medium in the vessels K and E, as previously described,Water or other condensing agent may be employed for the purpose, thoughI' prefer the former arrangement, because while the said mixtureservesasthe condensing agent it at the same time becomes heatedprepa'itory to its treatment in the retort B and 'sti `Without intendingto limit. thyself thereto,

.but by way of example only, I will state that the following detailedprocedure may be nployed in carrying out my invention: .One

thousand gallons of crude coal-tar are mixed with an equal quantity ofcoal-tar naphtha of about from 560 to 950 specific gravity, and themixture-is kept thoroughly agitated. This mixture after being slightly.warmed by a stealnrcoilis. then fed-in small-stream into the retorthereinhefore described' (which has been heated to a'temperature of 500cent'i- 1 grade) and falls onto the heated sides ofthe said retort,which causes volatilizat-ion of the liquid portion, tite free carbonadhering to the walls of the retort and being removed by the revolvingscraper, so that it falls into the ait'ftghtchambeig from which it istaken from time ito time.

I claim as my invention- The process of distilling tar to separate thefree carbon therefrom, consisting in diluting the tar with an oil orspirit which will, in combination with the said tar, produces mixturehaving an appreciabiy-1ower vaporizing-pointthan the tar alone has, andsubjecting the mixture to the action of heat and of steam, and therebyeffecting simultaneously the volatilzation of the liquid portion andIthe deposit of the free carbon, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this

